THIS Christmas
by LeaxoftheUnderworld
Summary: The holidays take their toll on Kanji and Naoto. Within the next twelve days they deal with suppressed feelings, hidden objects, past events, and, of course, shopping. Rated T, just in case
1. Prologue Part One

Sometime in your life, you lose track of yourself. You're never sure if you're going to be the tallest person or the shortest, have a good muscle mass or bust size, or, in this case, whether or not you can grasp your sexual orientation. Just when you think your straight, someone comes along and proves otherwise. But, what if that person was the opposite gender the whole time? This was the case for Kanji Tatsumi.

He'd missed his chance last year; still not fully aware of whom he truly was. He sort of just figured the feelings would pass in time. But they stayed, and he was going to do what he should've done last Christmas: Japan's equivalent of the Western St. Valentine's Day.

Finally, after all those conflicting thoughts and awkward moments, Kanji was going to prove his love to Naoto Shirogane—the pint sized Detective Prince, who for a long time, could never accept her age and gender.

He better get to it, for there's only twelve more days.

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><p><strong>AN:** So, yeah, that's the prologue. Just a heads up, I'm going to use the name "Yu Narukami" during the story, because, from what I've heard, is now the official name. I've wanted to write something Christmas related for a long time. This'll mostly be based around Japanese Christmas traditions, which are commercial and focus a lot on love, but in, as I mentioned in this prologue, a Valentine's Day sort of way. Expect an update every day, from December 13-25. It should get my fellow Persona fans in the mood ^.^


	2. The Very First Attempt: Day One

**A/N: **Well, here's chapter one! Tell me what you think Naoto would look like in the skirt. Besides the one that comes with the girls uniform!

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><p>It was late that night, a time when most people would be asleep. Not Kanji Tatsumi. He was lying in bed alright, but he was too distracted; too distracted by the calendar that was hanging on the wall across from him.<p>

The date was circled in red pen: December 12th 2012.

Starting tomorrow, there'd be only twelve more days until Christmas Day. He was just now starting to realize that there was so much to do in so little time; so many questions. She was a tough girl to figure out, right from contact. What would she like? How would she react?

But most of all, how will he confess his feelings?

She came across as uninterested in both men and women. There seemed to be only two things on her mind: detective work, feminism, and her own self-concept. Relationships were out of the question. However, she's had her soft moments, but they were very rare.

Then there was Yu. He'd helped her out so much, as he helped him. There was a difference, though. Kanji had come to terms with himself, mostly on his own, with a little help from Yu. Naoto was like "Whatever senpai says goes. He knows best." This may be just a theory, but, hey! You never know.

Before he could think of anything else, Kanji's eyes grew weak. They closed as he rolled onto his side.

He woke up a few hours later and dragged himself out of bed and down the hall. In the den, his mother sat in her armchair, holding a cup of black tea. She was wearing a rumpled green bath robe, her graying black hair tied, sloppily, in a bun, and her glasses sat on her nose at an odd angle. Smiling tiredly, she set her cup down on the coffee table.

"Good mornin', Kanji,"

Still weary, he plopped himself into the chair next to his mother and yawned. "Mornin,"

"Hm, I see someone didn't get enough sleep last night." shook her head, still smiling.

"Meh," Sleep or no sleep, Kanji had too much on his mind to care. Even during the conversation, all he did was gaze at the little Christmas tree on the coffee table; his mother had bought it at Junes. Looking back, that wasn't the best idea, seeing how it made him worry about the situation more and more.

Upon noticing her son's disinterest in what she had to say, Ms. Tatsumi asked him what was wrong. He shrugged her off, as expected, but she wasn't going to give up that easily.

"I keep tellin' you, Ma. Nothin's wrong." Kanji said, still staring at the tree. He was beginning to blush a bit. That's when his mother finally understood.

"Ah, I see. This is about a girl, isn't it?" She cocked her head to one side, her glasses slipping a bit. This was bound to happen at one point, and been prepared. Keep it casual and stay confident, she'd heard.

Kanji grew a deeper red. She knows now. It's best to just let it out slowly, calmly, and…

"It's Naoto! I've had this awkward lil' crush on 'er for so freakin' long! Everythin' about 'er just kills me—but, y'know, in a nice sorta way. Now Christmas is only, what, twelve days away, and I just can't hide it anymore!"

He buried his head in his lap, as if he were about to cry. It's time to ditch the casual exchange antics to the side and soften up, thought.

"Naoto? Is that the little detective you hang out with?"

Kanji's mother had only met Naoto briefly last year, when the Inaba murders were still going on. She just asked about the case a bit and left, apologizing for wasting both of their well earned time. Then, Naoto was considered to be The Detective Prince; in other words, a male. Much to everyone's shock, that it was a girl the whole time. Since the fateful news broadcast, had heard about Naoto from her son, but never did see her again. Who'd have thought she'd steal Kanji away from her like that.

"Yep," Kanji peered at his mother through his fingertips, "Oh, Ma, what 'm I gonna do? I dunno what to get 'er."

Kanji's mother sighed, "Well, I barely know the girl, so don't count on me to be much help."

"I don't care! Just tell me somethin'! To hell if it helps or not." His tone resembled a melodramatic male lead in a romance movie.

"Oh, well, alrightie then."

C'mon now, she thought. Think, what do girls these days like? What do you think she likes? Think. Think. Think!

"Um, how 'bout you get her a new hat? That one she has looks rather…"

"Ma, there's no way I'm doin' that! She's not gonna take it. That hat is like 'er favorite thing in the world or somethin'!"

"Well, sorry, that's all I got."

With that, Kanji left his mother and went back to his room to put some clothes on. So what if his mother wasn't any help? It's still a good idea to go shopping before the crowds build.

* * *

><p>Kanji was at Junes, along with what seemed like the entire Inaba population. He'd just bought his mother that necklace she'd been talking about nonstop—so much in fact, his mental image was almost an exact replica of the one on display—and figured it was time to find something for Naoto.<p>

Browsing the stores, Kanji kept thinking about what girls like: something frilly, lacy, or along those lines? Of course, skirts! She'd probably be comfortable wearing one by now. Sure enough, that's when Kanji ended up at the _Uniqlo_, a pretty popular clothing store amongst the girls, and guys, he knew from school. He, personally, didn't really care, but that didn't mean Naoto wouldn't like a nice skirt to wear out and about.

He found the women's section and browsed the aisles under the giant banner hanging from the ceiling that said 'skirts'. A few girls stared at him with wide eyes as he held the hem of one of the skirts—a wooly brown and white one—and whispered to each other frantically. It's most likely they weren't used to seeing a man in the woman's section, alone at least.

"Now now," Kanji turned to the girls, as gentlemanly as possible, "No need for alarm. I'm just doing this for a very special someone."

After a brief moment of silence, the girls shrugged and walked towards the tops section. It's good to see they aren't staring any more, Kanji thought, smiling inside.

That's when a particular skirt caught his attention. It was stiff, deep blue, and looked like it stopped at the knee. Though far more business-like than Kanji had seen, but it calmed itself with a large silk bow on the side, which was about the size of his palm. Naoto did look rather nice in blue, and it really made those icy gray eyes kinder. This skirt was the one. Only problem: he didn't know her size.

"Kanji?" said a quiet female voice.

It was Yukiko Amagi, the daughter of the local innkeeper. She was wrapped in a fleecy red shall, her hair tied back firmly.

"Oh, Yukiko, thank god you're here!"

"Um, no offense, but what exactly are you doing in the women's section?" Yukiko asked, staring at the skirt he held up.

"That's not important," Kanji blushed slightly, "Now, tell me, what size is Naoto?"

"Rather small, I guess," Yukiko said, trying to accurately visualize the detective's small frame, "Why?"

"For Christmas,"

Upon hearing this, Yukiko snatched the skirt from Kanji's grasp.

"Hey, what gives?" Kanji shouted, as he tried to get the skirt back. Fortunately for Yukiko, she had very good reflexes.

"You can't give her a skirt, Kanji."

Not buying it, Kanji continued to grab the skirt.

"Do you really think she'll take that skirt right away?"

He continued on, and a crowd began to form around the two.

"She's not even comfortable in the girls' uniform. What makes you think she'll wear this?"

Then, just like that, Kanji froze. The crowd remained, cheering him on. He kept still, looking down at his feet. In his mind, he imagined giving Naoto the skirt, keeping what Yukiko said in mind. Would she accept it right away? Would she even bother? How would she look in it? Why does one solution bring about so many questions? No matter, in the end, the skirt remained on the racks, the crowds subsided, realizing nothing was going to happen, and Kanji and Yukiko left _Uniqlo _together.


	3. The Encounter: Day Two

**A/N**: Chapter Two. Now, I'm not the biggest expert on mystery, crime, or detective fiction. I just browsed on Goodreads and picked out books that looked interesting to me. All these books belong to their respectful owners.

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><p>The next day, Kanji met up with Yukiko in front of the Inaba Shopping District's book store. She had called him last night, telling him to come here. Why, he had no idea. No matter, he could just get an answer today.<p>

"So, Yukiko, why're we here?"

"Why else would we be here, Kanji? For Naoto, duh,"

The two went inside. The place was almost foreign to Kanji, seeing how he rarely read anything. It's not that he wasn't a good reader or anything, it's just, and the subject never really interested him. There was only one book he could remember reading off the top of his head: an instruction booklet for the new sewing machines at school.

Here, however, there were more than instruction manuals, as Kanji had come to expect.

"So, what does she read?" He asked, browsing through something with a striking cover of a cat strangling a sea lion.

"Definitely not that," Yukiko swiped the book from Kanji and put it back on the display case, "And nothing to girly or sexist, either. That'll probably offend her or make her uncomfortable."

"You gotta give me somethin'!"

Yukiko was quiet for a bit, tapping her foot as she looked at the various shelves. Eventually, she kept her gaze locked on a shelf labeled "Mystery, Crime, and Detective Fiction".

"Perfect, get her something from there!" She pushed Kanji over then turned away.

"But…but I thought you 'ere gonna help me?"

"I did. Just pick something that interests you. I'm sure Naoto will love whatever you pick; she loves a good mystery."

Yukiko sat down on the couch near the "Historical" section, and skimmed through one of the books on the shelf.

"But what if she's picky about her books?"Kanji called out. No answer.

Groaning, Kanji began to browse. A few books did interest him: A topless girl with her tattooed back to the front called "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", which Kanji thought would be too overly sexual; A white background with silhouettes of tree branches called "Wolves Eat Dogs" which seemed far too bizarre for Naoto to enjoy; And, lastly, a black room with a red highlighted hallway called "And Then There Were None" which Kanji thought was too depressing.

Ah, for Pete's sake, Kanji thought, angrily. She wouldn't like any of these!

Then, he saw a familiar face come into the store. Right away, he recognized the blue newsboy cap, the metallic stare, the short tangled blue hair. The same person he'd kept in his thoughts all December long. Naoto Shirogane.

Startled, Kanji continued to look for a book. She started towards him. His heart beat faster. He felt someone tap his shoulder, Heart racing, brow growing moist with sweat, Kanji turned around, to find, who else, Naoto. The one person he both loved and feared.

"Why, Kanji, fancy seeing you here." She said. She was rather calm, collected, and confident, which scared Kanji even more. He never came here once, and she just treats like she was watching birds fly—normal birds, nonetheless.

Quickly, he came up with the best response he could. "Um, yeah, it's my first time."

"Really now," Naoto raised an eyebrow.

"Yep, I'm just, lookin' for a good ol' book to read over the break!"

"Since when do you read, Kanji?"

Shit, Kanji's thoughts raced, she's on to me. "Since now; you gotta problem with that?"

Her eyes grew huge and her jaw dropped slightly. Once she pulled herself together, Naoto cleared her throat and spoke once more.

"I see. Any book in particular you're interested in?" She sounded like she worked at this place her whole life, alongside her detective work.

Out of the corner of Kanji's eye, he saw Yukiko look over her book, mouthing something along the lines of "This is your chance. Ask her what she likes to read."

"Well," Kanji gulped and continued, "Nothing much. But I was thinkin' I'd get a mystery, or somethin' along those lines."

Right then, her face brightened, and a smile formed. "No way,"

"Yeah…way," Kanji said, without any clever responses.

"You came to the right person. I've been reading these things since before I could talk. You name it, I read it!"

Kanji shrugged, "Okay, like what?"

Naoto immediately grabbed a book off the shelf. "Here, I'll show you."

* * *

><p>Laid out in front of him on a table were a bunch of books Naoto had taken down for him to look at. They were most likely her top five picks. Kanji didn't know whether to feel grateful for this or not. After all, she was narrowing down his options, but the gift will lose a fun little element of surprise.<p>

"This right here is one of the best of the past decade!" She said, holding up a pastel blue book with a pearl necklace on the cover, "_The Lovely Bones_, a sad but unforgettable little story about a girl who recounts the events of her gruesome and untimely death."

Sad, Kanji thought. So she enjoys this kind of thing. Gee, maybe that book with the hallway on it wasn't such a bad idea.

"But," Naoto held up a book, whose cover showcased a man smoking a cigarette and a woman with two liquor bottles in front of her, "If you want something along the lines of a noir thriller, with a bit of humor, try _The Thin Man_, a book about a couple that solve crimes together."

"And I bet things get sexy, too," Kanji murmured.

"What?" Naoto set the book down.

"Nothin',"

"Okay. Then let's continue."

Following Naoto showed him the last three books on the table. One of them was about a girl who has to interview a violent psychopath to learn about a killer, with the price of telling him her innermost traumas. Another had to do with a guy, who has trouble understanding human emotions, that investigates the death of the neighborhood dog. Hearing about these books, Kanji started to question Yukiko's logic when it comes to buying Naoto a present.

"And this books, or books, I should say, seeing as how the author's written many, were some of the first I've ever read. This book told me 'hey, being a detective is a cool job'. Especially this one," She held up the last book, which had a cover that resembled the floral red textiles in Kanji's family's textile shop. "_A Study in Scarlet_, the first book with mystery icon, Sherlock Holmes. Maybe if you read it, as well as its successors, you'll see why I wanted to be an 'awesome hard-boiled detective'."

Naoto handed the book to Kanji, "You won't be disappointed. Grampa's kept this book in our house for years, and nobody tires of it."

She then left the store, almost as soon as she came. Kanji stood still, the book still in hand. This was probably the best book he could get for Naoto, and she already owned it. But, hey, at least he now has the perfect person to get gift ideas from: Naoto, herself.

* * *

><p><em>Naoto's journal: 1214/2012:_

_It started off as a typical day for me. I just went to the bookstore to browse around. Today, however, Kanji Tatsumi was there, someone who normally didn't read. Apparently now, he's decided to take up the hobby, so I showed him some of my favorite books. He seemed pretty uneasy the whole time, constantly stumbling over his words, but, hey, it's his first time shopping at the bookstore, so I'll let it slide; he probably didn't know what he was doing. Upon leaving, I left him with the first Sherlock Holmes book, which the store thankfully carried, and I'm pretty sure he bought it. Who knows? Maybe the next time we get together, I can ask him what he thought._

Just when Naoto was about to get some sleep, she heard her cell phone begin to buzz. And, who would've known, it was Kanji Tatsumi.


	4. Extra Time: Day Three

**A/N**: Yeah...not much happens in this chapter. Think of it as filler. Don't worry, it gets better later

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><p>The next day, Kanji and Naoto went to Junes together, having agreed to meet up there the night before. Naoto, however, had no idea why he'd asked her to come. She never took him for one to make the plans, but rather to follow them; judging by past experiences, at the most.<p>

"So, any particular reason I'm here?" Naoto asked, as soon as Kanji brought their drinks over (canned fruit milk).

That never hit Kanji before. He didn't exactly think of a clever way to hide his true intentions, only that he was going to find a way to interview her.

"Any reason at all?" Naoto's tone grew annoyed.

Quickly, Kanji put together a half-assed response. "Oh, there's not much've a reason, really. Just to, I dunno, talk."

"Alright then," The annoyance was gone, "What should we talk about?"

That's when Naoto remembered her encounter with Kanji at the Inaba Shopping District's book store. "Say, how's the book?"

"What," Kanji nearly spat out his drink, only to cough as he painfully swallowed it.

"_A Study in Scarlet_, the book I gave you to read?"

Oh shit, Kanji thought. That book! She must've thought I bought it yesterday. Wait, don't panic. Just find a loop hole. That's what you've been doing before…

"Oh, I like it."

"That's wonderful," Naoto said, cheerfully, "How much have you read?"

Kanji's slowly growing idea bubble burst right then and there. What was the book about? He remembered it had to do with some murders, and—unfortunately that was all he could remember. His idea bubble was then inflated, once again. Why not just make something up, he decided. I'll just keep it focused solely on the topic of murders so she won't suspect anything.

"Well, I've read up to the part with the…murders. Those murders, man, they're pretty damn scary. I couldn't sleep all…"

Naoto stared at him, smiling blankly.

"And, damn, if I had known the murderer was…was,"

Her smile was fading. There was no covering up now.

"Ah, who am I kiddin'? I didn't buy that Scarlet Study thing or whatever it's called."

"Okay," Naoto said. Her disappointment almost nonexistent in her voice, "What book did you buy?"

There's no point in hiding anything. She'd just figure him out as easily as a puzzle with one piece left.

"I didn't…buy…a book," Kanji looked down at table, feeling a sense of guilt.

Don't let it get to you, Naoto told herself. He's just not interested, is all. She leaned across the table, wary of knocking the drinks off, and tapped Kanji lightly on the shoulder.

"Ah, no hard feelings, it's okay if you weren't interested in anything."

Kanji looked up from the table. "Really," He asked, still uncertain.

"Of course," Naoto smiled once more, laughing to herself as she reminisced, "I didn't pick up any of those books right away either."

She then told him all about how she came across the books. How there were many avid readers amongst the Shirogane family; how her parents kept a lot of books in their house, though they were always too busy working and never found time to read them; how she read them when everyone was too busy; and how it helped her discover that being a detective could be enjoyable, as well as hard.

"Little did I realize—nah, you know where it goes from there."

She got up from the table, drink in hand. "C'mon. Let's walk a bit."

* * *

><p>Over the next few hours, the two walked for a bit, through Junes, eventually leading into the Shopping District. Kanji hoped that during this period, he'd get some ideas. There was still nothing. All they did was talk about books, and not just in the mysterycrime/detective section; as many types Naoto could think of during the conversation. He'd tried to get her a book already, yesterday, with not much success. It didn't help much that Naoto constantly suggested he try going to the book shop again. More likely than not, she already owned, or at least read, all of the books on that shelf, and he wasn't sure what other genres she liked.

A day or two more, he decided. Then maybe I'll get some more ideas

By the time they reached his family's textile shop, it was well near evening, the sun almost finished setting. The lights put up on display along the shops were beginning to light automatically in response.

"So, I'll be seeing you tomorrow at my place?" Naoto asked.

Having let her do most of the talking, Kanji just nodded. Satisfied, the young detective walked away. At the end of the day, things worked out okay. Sure, Kanji didn't get any new gift ideas, but at least he didn't have to invite Naoto. She'd already done that for him.

* * *

><p>Late that night, Naoto sat at her desk, journal out in front of her. She'd just informed her grandfather's secretary, Yakushiji that Kanji would be here tomorrow. Hopefully, her grandfather won't get the wrong idea.<p>

Still thinking about tomorrow, she began to write:

_Naoto's Journal: 12/15/2012_

_It turns out Kanji didn't buy a book yesterday, as I had previously assumed. During our walk, I told him that he could go back to the book shop again to see if anything would interest him, but he just treated it like it was nothing. As much as I'd hoped to be wrong, it pains me to say, Kanji Tatsumi won't be getting into the mystery, crime, or detective genre anytime soon. But on a positive note, he did try his best to act like he read it. And though I could see right through him—after all, he was stuttering quite a bit, and he clearly had no idea what he was talking about—I was delighted that he wanted to impress me. He's always been that way. I don't know why exactly, but I've always loved that about him; trying to be all tough, but falling flat within a matter of seconds. I'm never anything but happy, or amused, when around him, and I hope that never changes._

Then, at the bottom, in bold red ink, she wrote "Kanji is…a-_dork-_able." Closing the journal, she set it aside on her desk next to a small statuette of a boy with pink hair. It wore a long yellow trench coat, black shorts that stopped past the upper thigh, and a black halter top.


	5. Secrets: Day Four

**A/N**: Boy am I gonna get hate mail for this chapter. At least something happens in this one.

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><p>"Why, hello, you must be Kanji Tatsumi," Kanji was greeted by a tall man with messy dark hair, a subtle five o'clock shadow, and glasses with a broken rim. "I've heard so much about you."<p>

He led Kanji into the house and to the sun room. The two sat down on the old worn-out floral couch, "I'm Yakushiji, the secretary to Detective Noboru Shirogane." He held a hand out to him.

Kanji didn't know whether to take the gesture or not. He had no idea who Noboru Shirogane was; only knew that Naoto lived with Yakushiji, who he was talking with right now, and her grandfather, who he knew very little about.

"Naoto's grandfather," Yakushiji explained.

Nodding, Kanji took the man's hand.

"Speaking of which, she should be down in a bit."

For the next few minutes, Kanji sat on the couch in the sun room, looking around as he did. He didn't expect anything expensive or something along those lines—after all, this isn't the main house—but he wasn't expecting the house to be made up almost entirely of items that probably outgrew their usage long ago. This room alone was dimly lit and severely tainted with dust. He could feel springs pop from beneath him. Not even the clock on the wall was in sync with either of their watches.

Speaking of time, Naoto had lost track of it. She was on her bed, reading, whilst Kanji and Yakushiji were downstairs waiting for her. Once ten minutes had passed, the two were beginning to notice.

"Dammit," Yakushiji looked down at his wristwatch, "She should be down by now."

He got up off the couch. "Sorry for the inconvenience, Kanji."

Yakushiji then barged out of the room and up the stairs, Kanji tagging behind.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Naoto could hear the creaky sounds of the old wooden stairs from her room. At first convinced it was just Yakushiji; she glanced at the calendar and…<p>

Kanji, she thought, freaking out. I almost forgot!

She threw the book onto the bed, only to have it fall onto the floor, just when she heard a loud knock at the door. There was only one, no, two, people it could be: Kanji Tatsumi and her grandfather's secretary, Yakushiji.

"Naoto," Yakushiji said, infuriated, "What's kept you for so long?"

"Oh sorry," she said, slightly blushing, "It's just…I was reading, and you know how quickly time passes when…"

But Yakushiji said nothing, only shrugged and left. Kanji now stood alone in the door way. He said nothing, for the scene left him awestruck. Naoto had never been late before, not even for the smallest of things. What book could've possibly kept her so busy?

"Once again, I'm very sorry," Naoto said as Kanji came into the room.

"Okay," Kanji then noticed the book lying face open on the hardwood floor, "Is that the detective that kept you so busy?" he said, walking towards it.

Naoto sprung in front of him, frantically. "No, Kanji, it's nothing!"

Kanji pushed her to the side and kept walking.

"Really, it's nothing!"

"C'mon, Naoto, it's just another one a' your detective books." Kanji reached down and picked up the book.

"It's not that, it's…"

"Holy shit," Kanji exclaimed, looking down at the page.

He'd realized that it wasn't a regular book. It was a manga. Not only that, but there wasn't a detective in sight. Instead, there were two guys, one of which oddly resembled a woman, saying intimate things to each other. Then, much to his shock, the more masculine guy leaned over the feminine one's lap and kissed his cheek. That simple little cheek kiss led to a full on make-out session. But, Kanji immediately realized, was only the beginning. Flipping through, he found more similar panels. Naoto did nothing to stop him. She just stood silently, looking blankly at him as she tried to contain her embarrassment.

"Oh, Kanji, I," she snatched the manga from him, "Let me explain." She said, this time more calmly.

After having Kanji sit down on the bed with her, Naoto told him that mystery and crime wasn't the only genre that interested her; it gets old after a while, even for someone who holds it near and dear to their heart. She'd grown interested in Shounen Ai books and mangas a year or two before becoming a detective, captivated by the concept.

"Then, once I started disguising myself as a boy, I had to carefully hide every single one of the yaois I owned," She said, holding the manga close to her chest, "That's not a guy thing, apparently."

Kanji understood completely. The whole "that's not manly" thing plagued him for most of his life. But, no matter, it still didn't keep him from asking the one question he surely wanted to know.

"What exactly draws ya' to this stuff?"

"It's complicated;" She clutched the manga even tighter than before, "At first, I only liked it because it was unique. Never before had I seen a romance that involved to guys. Sure, I've been raised in a family with neutral feelings towards the topic, but not once had I expected to find something along those lines. So, naturally, once I read one, I couldn't put it down."

"Once I became a detective, I could hardly contain. Well…you probably know how well that went. It's not normal for a child to become a detective, and going in, I knew that. But then I looked at the yaois, and even yuris, that I've read; and not the ones with the over the top sex scenes. Those men probably knew there'd be people who'd look down upon them, but they didn't care. They loved each other, and that's all that mattered to them."

"I had a love, too: my newfound detective work. So, I thought, no matter what others might say I'll never give up. I'll obtain what I've always wanted and strive doing so!"

She got up and set the manga carefully on her desk. "You probably want me to stop, now don't you?"

Kanji didn't process that at first. He was too busy thinking about how he and Naoto and more in common than he thought—except, he didn't love his job as much as Naoto did. Upon hearing what she said, He nearly sprung off the bed.

"WHAT! Why?"

"Doesn't this kind of thing make you uncomfortable about yourself?"

Kanji couldn't believe he had to go back to this situation again. "No! I grew out of that last year. Ever since Yu—wait a second? Yu told you this didn't you.

Naoto paused briefly then continued, "Partly, but I mostly figured it out on my own. When I figured out you were going to be a victim, I noticed something odd about you. Then, when I joined the team, Yu explained everything: about the shadows, the other world, and how each and every one of you had to come to terms with something that you tried desperately to hide. So we'd all be informed, he told me, and I can only assume Rise, about what's been going on privately. That's when it all came to me."

She sighed, sitting down at her desk, "You know I probably wouldn't be anywhere if it weren't for him." A small tear appeared in the corner of her eye.

"You miss him, don't ya?" Kanji came up from behind her. Naoto, while startled, didn't turn around.

"Yep,"

That's when Kanji remembered the theory he tried desperately to be rid of. "Did you love him?"

She sighed once more, this time slower, and picked up the figure of the little pink haired boy, "Kanji, of course I did. He helped me realize who I was; same for you, and our friends. But, no matter what I may feel inside, I had to let him go. He's got a life back home in the city, and I have a life here in Inaba. It's time for me to move on."

She finally turned around in her chair, "Oh, who am I kidding. This story's probably boring you. Why don't we do something you wanna do?"

* * *

><p>By the time Naoto's grandfather got home, Kanji had already learned so much about her that he never thought of before. Apparently, she collect posters and figurines from movies and series she likes, and had kept it hidden, as well as her love for Shounen Ai; was born in Wales, then stayed with her grandfather in Germany for a few to get over the loss of her parents, until the age of eight when she came to Inaba; and used to participate in a lot of academic programs in middle school, which, seeing how smart she was, didn't really surprise Kanji.<p>

They went downstairs, back to the sun room. Naoto's grandfather was sitting on the couch, a cup of tea in hand. "Why hello young man, you must be the kid from the textile shop Naoto's been telling me about."

He spoke in a scratchy but upbeat voice. "Please excuse me. I was over in Montreal for a bit, and the weather's really been getting to me."

"I'm gonna go get some tea," Naoto said, "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Naoto's grandfather turned to Kanji, "You want any?"

Kanji shook his head. He'd never been too big on either tea or coffee.

He sat down on the couch. "So, how've you been treating Naoto?"

"What? No, it's nothin' like that, Mister Shirogane." Kanji said, fretfully. Could his crush be so obvious to the guy?

"Never said it was, _Mister _Tatsumi," He laughed a bit, coughed, then spoke once again, "Y'know, I'm glad Naoto's making friends now. She's never been a very social person; probably because she had trouble relating to girls her age.

Kanji nodded, thinking back to when he was just the same, only with guys. "Yeah…I'm glad to."

"For the both of us," Kanji muttered.

Naoto returned a few minutes later, teacup in hand. That's when Kanji noticed the time. "Oh my god, it's almost five o'clock! I should get going."

"Well, great seeing you then." Naoto's grandfather waved goodbye.

"Will I be seeing you tomorrow?" Naoto asked.

"Yep," Kanji said, happily. And since he was beginning to realize how much he and Naoto had in common, they'd be going to a place he held dear to him: The Samegawa Floodplain.


	6. Trees and Plushies: Day Five

**A/N**: I ensure you, this will probably be the last of the Kanji/Naoto bonding spree, and I'll get back to the Christmas shopping as soon as I can. Enjoy though!

* * *

><p>It took quite a bit of time for Kanji to figure out a good time for them to meet up—after all, Naoto wasn't sure if she wanted to go or not. The plain brought back to many joyous, but painful memories, for the detective prince.<p>

Sitting at her desk that afternoon, Naoto could clearly picture the trees. They were broad, and could hold the weight of almost anyone; well, coming from someone who was as light as a piece of paper, anyways. When all else failed, when nobody listened to her everyday observations, when nobody noticed the little handmade badge or modified watch on the desk or counter, or when she just wanted to get away from anything, possibly everything, the trees would be there.

Within the trees was her secret hideout. A place where Naoto kept her unfinished projects, later to complete them and show them to her family and who, back then, she considered her "friends". But it was more than that. The trees were a place where she could keep to herself; ignore the petty comments made by girls at school; where she could be herself.

That ended.

The medical tape constricted her breathing, causing her to fall to the ground below. Now there was nowhere to go. Hell, she couldn't even be herself any more. There was an image she needed to maintain, and it didn't involve a little tomboyish girl with a knack for technology.

Naoto tapped her ballpoint pen to the corner of her mouth, trying to keep herself together. She felt herself slowly torn apart, only to be neatly sewn back together. This was something she hadn't felt in over a year: insecurity.

But times had changed. Hesitant, Naoto got up and stood in front of the mirror. She undid the buttons on her shirt to reveal the carefully woven tape around her chest.

"Let's try." She told herself.

By the time she got to The Samegawa Floodplain, the sun had just begun to set. Kanji, though slightly annoyed, let his mouth hang open. Already, in less than a week, Naoto had been late. She's sick, isn't she, Kanji worried.

But Naoto was perfectly fine. She walked straight and, somewhat, tall. Her clothes were neat and—wait a second, her shirt was undone. Possibly the most shocking image was her chest. It was raised, rounded, _feminine_.

Before Kanji could get a full sentence out, Naoto put her middle and index fingers to his lips. "Just…watch." She said, looking at the trees behind them.

Here goes, she encouraged herself. Kanji said nothing, nor even attempted to stutter something incomprehensible. He just watched, because he knew something about this was right, even if Naoto wasn't.

* * *

><p>Carefully, Naoto wrapped her arms around the trunk of the highest tree, sleeves rolled past her elbows. She keep her teeth clenched tight, sweating lightly, as she made her way onto the first branch. In her head, Naoto cheered herself on. With each branch, she did the same. It must work, seeing how she'd made it almost halfway up.<p>

That's when it happened. With the slight slip, she found herself hanging from a branch, which was neither too thick nor thin. Breathing stilted, she tried with all her might to pull herself back up. Almost there, she almost lost her grasp, but by inhaling deeply, she ended up on the branch safely. That's when Naoto figured it was a good time to stop.

"Now do you see why I discarded the bandages?" Naoto called out to Kanji, who was standing on the banks. "This was my life, all those years ago. These trees were like my second home!"

There was no answer. Kanji stood, quietly, back turned to Naoto. The brief smile that flashed across her vanished as soon as it came.

"Kanji,"

There was still nothing. The water in front of him flowed mellow past him, into the storm drain. She noticed that that was what Kanji's focus was on: the drain. Curious, Naoto eased her way off the tree.

She tapped Kanji's shoulder. "Kanji, did you not here anything at all?"

Startled, Kanji looked over his shoulder; staring at her with frozen awestruck like she was struck down by lightning. "Oh, sorry," He pulled himself together, "It's just…somethin's been buggin' me, for almost a year now."

He turned his gaze back to the drain. "I-I know it ain't all that bad—right now, it isn't, anyway—but I can't help but think. The little boy who lost that stuffed rabbit must've gone through the same thing as me."

A little boy with a rabbit, Naoto thought, the image clearly visible in her mind. Naoto flashed back a little ways to when she was the detective prince with self-esteem issues. She was walking through the Floodplain, the trees by the banks still calling out to her with no luck, when she noticed Kanji. In his hand was a small stuffed rabbit, about the size of the ones hung on people's cell phones, which he gave to a little boy, around the same age as Detective Dojima's daughter, Nanako.

It had only been a few weeks after she joined the team, and this was the first time she'd seen Kanji be something other than a wannabe tough guy, whose awkward words always perked her up. He was…soft. No further analysis was needed, for anyone who saw him with the little boy would assume the same.

"I saw you." Naoto finally spat out. Kanji turned back to her, with the same frozen expression.

"Saw who?"

"I saw you; at the floodplain with that aforementioned boy with the rabbit."

Naoto then turned towards the drain that had captivated Kanji's interest. "And I presume this is where that rabbit of his went."

Kanji nodded. He told her all about what was going on, not blaming her for being surprised at what she saw.

"Havin', for the first time, given somebody a stuffed animal, or anythin' along those lines, without getting' laughed at, I could hardly believe it was happenin' either. It was just a lucky chance, I guess."

"Did I have the same effect on you today?" Naoto cupped one of her breasts in her palm.

"Pretty much, only, unlike you, I had no idea what you were trying to do."

"Maybe if you'd paid attention," Naoto ran back to the tree, "Let me show you."

* * *

><p>After having climbed the tree again, this time without any slip ups, Kanji finally understood. Sure, he had noticed Naoto in gym class, back when he thought she was a boy, struggling to run a full lap, but he just thought she wasn't that physically fit. Never had he, back then, assumed she'd climbed trees for most o her life.<p>

"I used to have a hideout in here." Naoto rubbed the broken bark on the trunk. "I had this chest glued right here, which, looking back, wasn't the best idea."

"Cool," Kanji looked up at the detective, noticing the unusual light in her eyes, rather than the cold metallic glare he'd come to know. "What'd ya do with it?"

The bright shimmer was slowing, filling with tears. "I threw it away, I guess. Somehow though, Grampa got a 'hold of a few of its contents."

"Lemme guess, too feminine,"

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. They were embarrassing. Seriously, do you really think I'd be taken seriously with a handmade detective badge?"

"No. But, hey, I bet it was cute."

Naoto sighed. "Oh Kanji, my grandfather's brainwashed you, hasn't he?"

Kanji thought back to the little scare he had yesterday. "Maybe,"

Laughing a little inside, Naoto climbed down.

* * *

><p>Before long, it was time for them to go home. Neither of them wanted to, really. Kanji was just beginning to realize how laid back and fun Naoto could be at times, and Naoto was happy to have found someone else she could talk to, without being forced to be the girl she never was—not saying any names here.<p>

It was unanimous that they see each other once again. This time it'd be different. Kanji wasn't just hanging out with Naoto to get ideas for Christmas. He was hanging out with her for the fun of it; his enjoyment of her was bittersweet though While he found Naoto wasn't all that stern, the feelings inside were still there, and they wanted to burst through. But she wasn't ready. Maybe on Christmas Eve, Kanji decided.

Naoto didn't have to decide where they'd go tomorrow. It was already decided for her, weeks in advance.

"There's this show touring, and it's coming to Inaba tomorrow. I had bought two tickets, for me and Grampa, but his cold's getting worse, so…"

"You want me to go with ya?" Kanji was rather hesitant. He'd never gone to a live show of any kind.

"Of course, oh, wait; you probably don't know what it is. It's this musical from America called _Next to Normal_. I've never seen it, but I heard it's amazing. And this could be our only opportunity to see it."

Naoto tapped her foot. "So what do you say?"

Without any other drawbacks, besides the fact he had no idea what he was seeing, Kanji accepted. What harm could an American musical do to him?


	7. Something Next to Normal: Day Six

**A/N**: The last chapter of Kanji/Naoto bonding for now. You'll see why soon. Also, there are slight spoilers for the musical _Next to Normal_. It's a great show by the way, so if you're interested, and it comes to your area, I encourage you to go see it. I'm not sure if it will ever go to Japan, though. I just put it in the story because it was the first thing that came to mind.

* * *

><p>They'd been together for four days in a row now, but this one was especially unique. There first night, <em>night<em>, together, alone. And the eventually evening from yesterday didn't count. The show started at 8 pm. While that may not seem impressive to some, Kanji was amazed this was actually happening. It was as close to a date he'd ever been on. Though, as much as he wished it to be so, Kanji knew this wasn't real. They were just friends, and, for now at least, they should stay that way. Maybe one day things would be different, but for now, they were friends. It's best to just kick back and enjoy what this show had to offer.

Now if only Kanji new shit about what they were seeing. He only knew three things about it: one, it was a musical, two, it was called _Next to Normal_, and three, the show was from America, New York to be precise.

During the walk to the Inaba Theater, this was only a few blocks away from the Shopping District, Kanji tried to think of what this was about. His life was pretty much next to normal, though, last year, his dungeon experience was pretty far from normal. Could this be something along those lines? Maybe these people went through the same thing he, Naoto, and the rest of the team went through, but he was just too oblivious to see it. Anyhow, why waste time thinking when you can find out for real.

"Naoto, by any chance do you know what the hell this is about?"

Naoto shook her head, silent, and continued walking.

Once they arrived at the theater—an aged brick building, in desperate need of remodeling—and got their seats, the playbill explained it all. Upon seeing the purple cover of a suburban American house, a woman's eyes, and a twisted musical staff, Kanji dropped the idea of the TV. Unless…this took place in Rise's dungeon! That was the only dungeon the team encountered that featured muffled dance beats that burst the speakers and purple lighting. This Brian Yorkey guy must be a big fan of Risette and happened to see her on TV that night. Come to think of it, however, he never noticed any houses in that dungeon. He must've looked deeper into it.

Unfortunately, Kanji couldn't prove his theory before hand, because the show started before he got the chance to read the playbill.

Once the lights dimmed and the orchestra pit started up, two actors appeared on stage, in front of a set piece that resembled a house. One actor, a middle aged red-headed woman, asking her son, a boy a few years older than Kanji, with a clean sweep hair cut, where he'd been all night, before sending him upstairs. This leads to the first song, which introduces two other actors, an older man with messed up dirty blonde hair, and a girl, around the same age as the boy, with shoulder length brown hair and a various selection of hoodies. At first, it seemed like it was 'just another day', until the middle-aged woman, called Diana, well to the floor throwing bread everywhere.

That's when everything went haywire, and Kanji's theory of Rise's Dungeon was vanquished. The rest of the first act focused on Diana trying to get over the loss of her son, the boy from before, and cope with her bipolar disorder through pop rock numbers and treatments with a guy called. Meanwhile, her daughter, Natalie, the girl with the hoodies, falls in love with a guy named Henry, who is the stark opposite of her perfectionist ways.

Surprisingly, the main conflict didn't interest Kanji all that much, though the songs were kickass. What really captivated him was the subplot with Natalie. She sorta reminded him of Naoto: the type of girl who does the best she can to impress her family, friends, and in Naoto's case, colleagues, even if it meant resorting to extreme measures to do so. The relationship didn't describe them, unfortunately. For one thing, Kanji had never done drugs before, and there's no way in hell he was ever going to take up piano.

So engrossed in the subplot and music, Kanji barely noticed how quickly the act was coming to a close, and before he knew it, the intermission rolled around.

"So, do you understand what it's about now?" Naoto asked as they walked out into the lobby to stretch their legs.

Kanji shrugged, "It wasn't really what I expected. I thought it was gonna…" he quickly covered his mouth. He's kept the secret for more than a year and now's not the time to let it out. Besides, Naoto would mistake him for crazy.

"Gonna be what, Kanji?"

"Nothing, it's just…exceeded my expectations, is all."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that."

That's when Kanji saw a familiar girl with long dark hair, held back with a red headband, and light hazel eyes, accompanied by a shorter, chunkier, girl with short blonde hair that perfectly accented her face.

It was Chie and Yukiko. Wait, Yukiko, Kanji thought, anxiously. Ah man, I almost forgot about that day.

He knew he had that date recorded somewhere in his mind; the day he and Naoto hit it off somewhat was also the day he ditched Yukiko at the Shopping District. Did he really have to say anything to her now? Her eyes said everything with the fiery glare the held. Oh well, there's not much of a choice now, because Yukiko stomped right over to him and Naoto, squeezing Chie's hand tightly.

"Kanji Tatsumi," There was a rare edge to the usually quiet girl.

"Well, ain't it nice to see you two tonight. " Quickly, he thought of a good conversation starter before either Yukiko or Chie could say anything. "What a coincidence, we both end up at the same place."

"Rise was kind enough to get us tickets." Chie said cheerfully, before having something whispered in her ear by Yukiko. She kept quiet for a bit.

"_Anyways_, I noticed you ditched me the other day!"

"Look, it's nothin' really, I…" Kanji couldn't keep his friends with lies. "No offense, but your gift ideas were terrible!"

Chie's mouth gaped open. Yukiko stared at him, the glare replaced with sad wide eyes, like she was about to cry. "Kanji, I was just trying to help." She muttered.

"And I thank you for that. But you got me nowhere! She's probably read all those goddamn books, and the things you said she hated were completely false!"

"Well excuse me for trying. Why are you worrying this much anyway?"

"Because, I love Naoto, and I wanna do the best I can to make her happy." If only he'd kept his big mouth shut.

Chie was the one to point over his shoulder, showing him that Naoto was still there. Her eyes were just as big as Yukiko's were, as she stood still, speechless.

Then, slowly, she said, "Kanji, I don't feel too good. I think I'll be taking my leave now." She fled the lobby, faster than Kanji could say "Wait up!"

"I should've told you before hand," Chie stared at him slyly, "Now you've really gone and done it. If you excuse me, I'm gonna go get a drink. C'mon, Yukiko, let's go."

"Not yet." She was going back to her usual self. "I still have some business to take care of."

Yukiko looked straight up at Kanji, who was three heads taller than the Innkeeper's daughter. "Let this be a lesson. Don't ditch people without warning."

"I know I screwed up big time. I'm sorry, 'kay?"

"Apology accepted." She turned towards the vending machine Chie was at. "Just don't expect me to help you with Christmas shopping."

* * *

><p>Kanji probably would've enjoyed the second act more, if not for how depressing it made him feel. It wasn't just the scenes where Diana tries to regain her memories after ECT or the scene where she and her husband, Dan, played by the man with the messy hair, sang about how their son died, which did cause Kanji to tear up a bit. What really got to him was the romantic subplot. Through three musical numbers, Natalie was rejecting her boyfriend, Henry, for not letting her live her teenage years the way she wanted to. At first, it felt calming, for it was nice to know he wasn't the only one who screwed up in a relationship—which never happened, in his case. But soon, after the sweet mother-daughter song "Maybe", Natalie goes back to Henry, and they're perfectly fine. The ending of the show, which was quite bittersweet, didn't help much either. Moral for today, Kanji thought as he walked home, love is stupid.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Naoto's Journal: 1218/2012_

_I never did see how the show ended, which is perfectly fine with me. After hearing Kanji confess his attraction for me in front of two friends of ours, I'd rather be as far away from that lobby as possible. It's not that I don't want to return the favor, because I do. But what will I say? Maybe getting away, taking a walk would help a lot._

She closed her journal and continued to throw stuff into her bag.


	8. Prologue Part Two

Sometime later in life, even if you've figured out who you are, there's still something you'll still never understand. More often than not, you never realize it until its right in front of you; and even then, it's only visible through a frantic series of events; or, in Naoto's case, one _much _unexpected event.

That's what caused her to leave. Those words he blurted out, though predictable, were too much to handle at the time. And, as we've learned in the very beginning, Christmas in Japan is a day of love, as Valentines is to me and most fans reading this story. It's just too fast, and Naoto could only think of one way to deal with Kanji's confession: to leave Inaba, for now, and go to the nearest island she could think of.

And thus, we cross borders into the second part of this holiday tale.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Now, I know a lot of you may be confused, but let me explain. I figured since the ending of "part one" was during the intermission for _Next to Normal_, a show that Kanji had mixed feelings about due to the subplot with Natalie and Henry; I'd make it like a stage show and give it a second act. And as for that whole breaking the fourth wall in this prologue, it's supposed to be told from my point of view, so it'd make sense I'd address the reader in this. I still wish I did that in the last Prologue. ;.;


	9. Decisions: Day Seven

**A/N**: Transitions Transitions Transitions. Oh, and yes, I do feel that Naoto did love Yu, but felt it was never meant to be. That's just my opinion, anyways.

* * *

><p>The sky was not very encouraging the morning Naoto left, and it probably wasn't to anyone else. It was gray, coarse, and gloomy, as if it were frowning down on her. But it didn't matter, not now anyways. She was still worried about her grandfather, whose condition seemed to have turned.<p>

It wasn't bad, thank goodness. When she'd come down the steps, minutes after waking, he'd greeted her, as he did every morning. Instead of the scratchy quiet voice he'd spoken in the past week, instead of the watery red eyes he sported, instead of the unpredictable coughing fits while speaking, he was the same as he usually was: the upbeat elderly man, with a bit more spunk than those his age, who still kept the somber attitude when needed.

He was the same as he was, and that tugged at Naoto. If he were better, they should be together, something they almost never were. Christmas was only six days away, so they'd have a little over a week to spend time with each other. But that brought her back to _Next to Normal_, the show she never finished. Naoto couldn't let herself finish it, not after what Kanji had said to Chie and Yukiko. He'd expect her to respond, which, to be brutally honest, wasn't all that bad, but there was a problem. What would she say? She wanted to return the favor, but couldn't bring herself to do it. There was only one other time she'd wanted to do this, and that was with Yu; he never showed interest in her, or anybody really, be the apathetic guy he was, and she'd missed her chance last year. This time, the person in question had feelings, but they were ones she wasn't prepared for.

It was then Naoto noticed the shopping bag in the lap of the woman next to her. It was one of those fancy gift bags they offer you at some of the Junes stores this time of year. It was bright white with a little red square in the corner. On that square, in bold white letters were the words _Uniqlo_. She, as many people have come to expect, didn't do a lot of shopping, nor did she take interest. However, she had heard of this _Uniqlo_, for it was one of the biggest designer stores in the country. But what did it matter to Naoto; a label along those lines would never work for her situation!

That bag made her think of that little mini-date she had with Yu last Christmas Eve, when she not only gave him a watch, but wore the girl's school uniform. She imagined the woman doing the same with her lover, wearing whatever nice clothing was in the bag.

That uniform was originally a onetime deal, but, maybe, just this once. But it wasn't going to be a uniform.

At the same time, a couple miles away in a familiar shopping district, Kanji sat at home all day. He was all alone on the couch, occasionally trying to entertain himself with the news ads on the coffee table, eyes growing drowsy. Yeah, he knew it was a waste, but no matter. He was still rather bored. Hanging out with Naoto had become routinely, so it was hard to fill the gap. But she left, and it was probably due to his stupid antics.

His mother had noticed this all day long. Not since the thirteenth has his mood shifted so drastically. At first, she figured he was just going through typical teen angst, and let it slide, hoping he'd get up and go see his friends or something. But, she'd already finished dinner, and he still hadn't moved off the chair. This just can't go on any longer.

She fixed him a plate, placed it in front of him on the table. "So, what's up?" She asked, sitting down across from him.

He picked up the plate and took a few bites, not saying anything.

"Kanji, I asked you a question!" Her voice rose.

Kanji kept eating.

"Kanji," Her voice was louder than before, almost like a siren.

There was no getting around this now. "Huh?" He said through bits of food.

"You've been on the couch all day. Any reason,"

Kanji shook his head. "Just bored, is all,"

His tone didn't fool his mother. It felt forced, a hint of shame concealed beneath. Something happened, and being _his _mother, she wanted to help.

"Really…there's something going on, isn't there."

His eyes rolled up as soon as she asked.

"Care to tell me about it?"

Kanji gagged a bit, as if choking, until finally sighing and saying, "It's Naoto…again."

His mother was a bit puzzled. Those two had been together four days in a row, and nothing about it struck her as odd. It had something to do with getting Christmas ideas, she remembered, though the first night, Kanji never mentioned it again. He'd come home a few hours later and talk for a bit, never bringing up whether or not he got her a present. In fact, he didn't tell her about what he and Naoto did, either.

"Ah, yes, Naoto," She remembered the playbill she saw on the kitchen counter. "Did you two not enjoy _Next to Normal_?"

"Oh, no, it was great, to me anyways. Naoto left early; said she was sick."

"Oh dear, I hope she's…"

"She's not sick."

"But you just said she was."

"It was an excuse." Kanji sunk into the chair, staring at the ceiling lamp. "All because I had to let it slip."

"She knows now, Ma. Scrap the present. She won't even wanna talk to me."

His mother could understand completely. After a bit of reminiscing, she spoke.

"That's what happened with your father."

She then told him the story of young love. About how she met an awkward guy in college, how they became very fast friends, and how he accidentally confessed his love to her at a party.

"So what happened?"

She got up and walked over to the bookshelf. "I gave him this," she said, holding a snow globe, which contained a group of penguins on an icy cliff.

"This was a guilty pleasure of mine, collecting these things. I found it pretty damn embarrassing, put it bluntly."

"What happened?"

"Well, I did blush a bit, but I listened to his apologies and made up with him. We eventually got married, and lived happily with our son, until…until…you get the idea." She grew sullen.

"But the point is," She walked behind him, setting a hand on his shoulder, "You can make it up to her, somehow. Why not get her something nice, make it up to her?"

Grabbing his empty plate, she glanced over her shoulder and said, "Think it over."

And that's what he did. There was no point in sitting around, thinking about what he could be doing with Naoto. He had some shopping to do. The next day, however, for the stores were probably closed at this hour.

* * *

><p>Naoto had gotten off the train an hour ago, and got a room at the nearest motel. She lounged on the balcony chair, looking out at the colorfully lit outlet mall, which could be seen a few blocks over. There had to be a <em>Uniqlo<em>, or at least some store or boutique, over there. That's where she'd be going tomorrow afternoon.

But, for now, it was almost midnight, and she was already falling asleep. Before going inside, she took out her journal and wrote:

_Naoto's Journal: 12/19/2012:_

_Well, the train trip wasn't that bad. The seats didn't hurt my back like last time, and I had a little more leg room—though it wasn't that necessary to begin with, being so short :/. The best part was the woman sitting next to me. No, we didn't talk, she was asleep. But the bag she was carrying, it gave me an idea. I'll put it into action tomorrow, though. It's late and I really should be asleep at this hour. _

_Maybe Kanji will like it…maybe things won't be all that bad._


	10. More Shopping: Day Eight

**A/N**: Today, we get some shopping, with help from some rather strange people. They have no character really-but the guy that helped Naoto is up to interpretation.

* * *

><p>Kanji got out of the house as early as he could, anything to ditch the midday mobs. It was raining lightly, the sky still gray and foggy, so Kanji wore the only jacket he had—a worn black leather one he got back when he was trying to be tough. Thankfully, it wasn't too cold.<p>

Now that begs the question, where should Kanji go? The bookstore, he'd already tried, and the _Uniqlo_ was a definite no. Junes did have a massive amount of stores, so surely he'd see something.

Having spent time with Naoto those past few days, he vaguely knew what he wanted to get her, though it wasn't at the top of his mind. Having spoken with his mother yesterday, he had a clear path to take. His late father had given her something he only knew about, and she found humiliating. For his mother, it was tacky snow globes, for Naoto, it was many things: Shounen/Shoujo Ai, stuff to help her climb trees—a guidebook, maybe—and that's all he could think of instantly.

He arrived at Junes at exactly seven in the morning. He browsed around, wary of the tents in his way. Soon, Kanji reached the source of his first possibility: A novelty store. There had to be something Yaoi related in here, just judging by the figurine of a feminine guy—the pink haired one in Naoto's room—in the window display.

"Good mornin'," A short man in a thick brown overcoat and blue and grey beanie, sprigs of red hair sticking out from the sides. He held out his gloved palm to Kanji, who politely shook it.

"Sir, I praise you for coming out today," the man said, sitting back down near the register by the front door. "What with the weather and all, I swear, by the time that rain blows over, will be spending the holidays frozen over and drowned!"

"Rain," Kanji muttered. The man seemed too endearing about the possibility of a flood.

The man nodded, holding up a newspaper. "See, it's supposed to rain all week, and it's gonna get icy, I just know it!"

Kanji went to the window and picked up the pink haired figurine, as the man kept on blabbering about the weather. Its oversized violet eyes gave the impression that the ting was staring into your soul like some demon doll from a horror film. Yet, something about them was actually kind of cute, to Kanji anyway. Almost like the brightly colored buttons he sewed onto plushies. He could somewhat see what Naoto would like about the figurine; it was eerie and bizarre but adorable in its own way. It reminded him of Naoto herself.

"You gonna buy that?" the man asked.

Kanji shook his head. "She already has it."

"Is she your girl?"

He blushed a bit, setting the figurine to the side.

"No, it's nothin' like that, mister."

"Wait, lemme guess, she's your sister; your cousin, maybe?"

"We're _just _friends. And it's gonna take a lot for me to ever see her again."

The man leaned across the counter, patted Kanji's shoulder lightly.

"Is this going to be an apology gift?"

"Sorta, but it's more complicated than that." Kanji felt he shouldn't tell him anymore. He'd already had a talk like this yesterday. "Can you help me out?"

"No problem, mister, uh,"

"Kanji: Kanji Tatsumi." He tried to sound formal, though it fell flat in a store of this caliber.

"Kanji, nice name there! Anyways, what is it you're lookin' for; another figurine, perchance?"

"She's got plenty, mister. I was thinkin' I'd get 'er somethin' she'd like that only I know of."

"Like," The man listened, patiently.

"She's into the followin'," Kanji tapped his palm with his index finger as he listed off items. "Yaoi and or Yuri, tree-climbin', anythin' mystery related—she's a detective who's been into that for a long time—and basically just somethin' to show 'er I care."

"Yeesh, hefty load you got there, Kanji." Then his eyes gleamed as if a light bulb just flashed in his head. "I know! Why doncha just combine everything into one! That'll save you a lot of time."

"Okay…but how do I do that?"

His eyes shifted from one area to the next. The figurine counted as something Yaoi related, and he did see a bunch of banzai trees over in the corner. But what about everything else he needed; there was a lack of mystery and heart? The hearts on the wall didn't really seem like something he'd buy, and Naoto most certainly wouldn't wear any of the jewelry in the back. And even working with the stuff he had, Kanji couldn't imagine the figurine nestled firmly in the leaves of the tree.

"I dunno."

Kanji was growing aggravated. "Well, thanks for the _help_, seeya." He turned and fled the store.

The rest of the day he had no luck. The electronics warehouse had a bunch of DVDS in the mystery section, but they were well over the amount he'd spend for himself. The athletics department had nothing tree climbing related. There was nothing garden related, which Kanji could live with; Naoto didn't look like the gardening type. Worst of all, he still had no clue how he could combine anything at all.

After eating lunch at the food court, he left before the crowds started to form; making the time he had to get up in the morning pointless. Still a shred of hope left, Kanji strolled through town, looking at the various other stores. It wasn't until he got home that he finally had an idea. And he owed it all to a tiny green pin cushion and a long sewing needle.

* * *

><p>A few miles over, Naoto was having similar problems. She'd left in the afternoon, having overslept. Today's shopping would probably keep her out until midnight, so maybe it'd have been better to go earlier.<p>

First of all, the designs got on her nerves. Nothing seemed comfortable, no matter what she tried. The first dress she threw on was a red low v-neck with white lace at the bottom. She'd picked it up because she felt it fit the seasonal look. But looking in the dressing room mirror, she felt the hem was too short, revealing too much thigh, and she still wasn't that comfortable having exposed cleavage in public. Many of the other dresses were the same; some were too long, and caused her to nearly trip over her ankles; some were to thin and gave her shivers; some were too thick, making her sweat; but most of all; it highlighted her figure a little more than desired.

Then there were the prices. When she left, Naoto didn't think she was going to need a hefty amount of money, thinking she'd just be walking through the park to cool down. All she had in her wallet was 3,897 yen, which was half the price of the dresses on display. It didn't just have to do with the store she was in, because the others weren't any different. She'd probably have to sell her clothes, legs, arms, and maybe her hair just to afford the cheapest one out.

She was just about to give up, about to hang a purple floor length cocktail dress back on the racks, when she walked into someone. The dress was sprawled out between their feet.

"I am so sorry, sir! If I'd just paid attention this probably wouldn't have…"

"No need." He said slowly.

He was a tall lanky man, most likely in his early twenties. His face was hidden by the hood of his jacket, except for a few strands of blue hair and his thin delicate lips.

"It seems something's been bugging you. Don't ask how I know, it was your voice. You must be in a hurry, you're talking so fast."

Naoto swallowed the lump in her throat. "Well, not exactly. I just learned one of my friends loves me more than I thought he did—actually, I already knew. I just wasn't very prepared."

"And you want to dress nicely for him, but you're not used to the stuff girls your age are into."

She stared down at the ground. "Yeah, this shouldn't be all about me, but," She tapped the top of one of her breasts, which were covered up with the medical tape. "I've only had them out once, covered."

"Why shop here?"

Naoto shrugged. "It's trendy, nice, and…"

"Expensive. You shouldn't waste your money on stuff you're not sure about, Naoto."

At that, she rolled her eyes towards the man. "And how exactly do you…" she began to say.

"Just get something subtle. Something that says 'I'm a woman and I'm not afraid to show it." He traced Naoto's cheekbones with his long pencil-like finger. "Makeup perhaps; lots of women wear it."

"I guess so," Naoto sighed. She'd never liked the feel of makeup. "But after Christmas I'm throwing it away."

"Suit yourself. Now, get to it. Your Grampa's waiting."

"And how do you know about my—hell, how do you know so much about me to begin with?" Her heart beat faster. He helped her, alright, but maybe it was a trap; a trap to help lure her into his prey.

"I just do." And he left the store.

The experience left Naoto quiet all night. She spoke to no one, no matter where she went. And by the time Naoto got back to the motel, all she could write in her journal was this:

_Naoto's Journal: 12/21/2012:_

_Never trust people, even if they help you out._


	11. Invited: Day Nine

**A/N**: No, I'm not telling you what Kanji's making yet. You just have to keep guessing! Try to think of something that combines yaoi, detectives, and trees.

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><p>Despite what Kanji had decided yesterday, he still had some shopping to do. There was an artisan crafts store on the street next to Junes that he and his mother bought thread for their store. This wasn't strictly his own decision, for his mother had told him that she was a bit under the weather and didn't want to leave the house (she requested he get some patterned textiles, plain white thread, and a crocheting hooking, as well as yarn.)<p>

He left the house early that day, the weather cold and rainy. At first, nobody else was out—Kanji figured they were all sleeping. Then, without warning, someone stepped in front of him, knocking them both to the pavement, along with the person's shopping bag.

Looking up, he saw that the person was a girl, only a few months younger; a friend, nonetheless, and a well-known idol. She had bouncy red hair done up in high pigtails and a bright bubbly white smile. It was none other than Rise, the reason Yukiko was at the show. The reason he let it all out in front of Naoto.

"Oh, Kanji, it's just you!" She exclaimed, scrambling her items back into the bag. "I thought you were another stalker of mine."

"Thankfully not," Kanji muttered, "What're you up to?"

"Well, nothing much, I—wait, no I shouldn't be telling you, not like this."

Kanji scowled slightly. "Fine then," Thanks for wasting my time, he thought. "I've got somewhere to be, anyway."

He continued walking in the direction of the craft store until Rise grabbed him by the arm, pulled him back. "No, don't go! I wanna show you something—or someone I should say."

And Kanji went with Rise, without hesitating, for he knew that would do him no good. Soon, the both of them were at the front of the tofu shop, the one owned by Rise's grandmother.

There was a man standing, looking their way. He was almost the same height as Kanji, though from his broad jaw line and greater muscle mass, he seemed older. He had Rise's bright red hair, shaved halfway, the rest swept over. He was dressed in a long khaki trench coat.

"Kanji, this is my older cousin, Rikuto,"

"Just…Riku, I'm not all that formal about names, really." Riku shrugged lightly, smiling. He then shook Kanji's hand, politely.

"He works in the European Theater Industry, no country in particular. His team noticed our stage could use a little work—I mean, the _Next To Normal_ set piece just barely fit on that tiny little stage—so he came over here to help set up a fundraiser to remodel it." She breathed in deeply and sighed.

"Woo, that was a mouthful." Rise said, wiping the stray hairs from her brow.

"What she saying is," Riku said, desperately trying not to laugh, and his curved grin showed it, "My team obvious can't pay for a whole remodeling on our own. And since it's almost Christmas, a party sounds fitting,"

"It'll be in two days, at the theater lobby. The more people we get, the nicer it—and the entire place, of course—will look! I'm trying to invite as many people from school as I can, and of course, that includes my dear friends," said Rise, "Only two more to invite: You and Naoto. Speaking of which, where'd that little detective go; haven't seen her since that intermission?"

"Wait a minute, Rise, did you just say you're friends with a detective?" Riku rolled his eyes to the side, closely zoning in on his cousin.

Rise groaned. "Did you not here me, what, two days ago?"

"Ah yeah, _that_ detective; is she the one who wears drag for attention?"

"It's not that simple, Riku—"

"I'll be sure to invite her, bye." Kanji turned and fled, hoping to avoid getting caught up in the conversation. He went to the craft store, his original destination, leaving Rise and Riku standing in the dust, blankly staring.

As the day came to a close, Kanji only had one more thing left to do—invite Naoto. The only problem is that he had no idea where she was. He only knew she left; not where she was going, not why—wait, he did know why. Kanji just didn't like to mention it. He could call her house, but most likely, her grandfather, or even his secretary Yakushiji, will pick up and tell him she wasn't home. But why bother when he could just go straight to the source. He'd had just enough time spent upstairs, alone, anyway.

He knocked on the door once. No answer.

He knocked twice. He heard footsteps.

After three knocks, someone opened the door. It was Naoto's grandfather.

"Well, if it isn't _Mister _Tatsumi! What brings you here?" He leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, foot tapping.

Kanji rolled his eyes down at the ground. "Rise wanted me to invite 'er to the party her cousin and his team are havin' in two days."

"Hm, I see," Naoto's grandfather said, slowly and deep, pondering something almost, "She's not home yet. But since you're here, you might as well just come on in."

Setting a hand on his shoulder, Kanji was escorted inside, sat down on a couch in the living room.

"So, what kind of party is this?" Naoto's grandfather asked, picking up the cup of steaming tea sitting on the nightstand at the end of the couch.

"It's charity, sorta. They're tryin' to raise money to fix up the old theater near Junes."

"Good to hear kids of this generation are fixing up their town." There was a hearty smile on Naoto's grandfather's face. "Would you like some tea? It's festive."

Kanji shook his head, got up from the couch. "I really should be goin'."

He made his way to the door, constantly shifting his eyes back to the couch. No, he told himself, you don't need to stay. Everything's done, and you can go home. Kanji didn't know if he should though.

Naoto's grandfather was a very nice man, and Kanji knew he should trust him, being related to a friend, somewhat love interest. But he still dreaded what Naoto's grandfather would say. He was on to Kanji, and he could tell from the casual remark he made way back when. Now he probably knew, thanks to Kanji's own stupidity. Hopefully, his stupidity won't get the best of him this time, and he can just leave. Then again, talking things out seems to always work. But why bother he could already guess the outcome.

He spent so many minutes flip flopping between decisions; he didn't realize he was walking back and forth across the floor.

"Care to tell me what's been keeping you?" Naoto's grandfather asked, though he figured it was a minor mental disorder.

Kanji jumped a little, the stray hairs on his body twitched. "Oh…I guess so." And he got back on the couch with Naoto's grandfather.

"I'm very sorry, Mister Shirogane,"

"Please, just call me Noboru," Naoto's grandfather said, rolling his shoulders back before slowly easing deeper into the couch cushions. "This is a casual conversation."

"Sorry, Noburo," Kanji spoke frantically, as if in a rush, "I've just got _way _too much on my mind at the moment."

"Is this about what happened at the show the other night? Naoto told me."

"What? No, no way Noburo, Actually, it kinda involves it but—oh what the hell it is! You probably don't even want me near Naoto after what I said."

Nobody said anything for the next few seconds; the only sounds in the room were the low ominous ticking off the clock in the corner. Finally, Noburo stood up, stretched, said, "Let me get something; be right back.", and left.

He came back a moment or so later, holding two little rag dolls Kanji hadn't noticed before. They had small identical black beads for eyes and their hands were sewn together. "She made this to at least attempt to fit in with the other girls."

"As you might've guessed, she's not much of a girly girl, but there was always that image in the back of her mind that lots of girls had. She figured once she made it big as a detective, she'd probably settle down somewhere—along the lines of this town—and meet someone, get together with him, you know what I mean."

Kanji couldn't help but laugh a little inside, imagining Naoto wanting to be in a relationship. He always figured relationships weren't her top priority; nothing compared to her own identity. And now he saw that little doll, who he thought to be Naoto with a guy from Europe she used to know, maybe even right here in Inaba, or somewhere else in Japan.

"You know what, I bet she knew one day some random guy—or even a friend, like you—would accidentally slip up and say that he loved her. She was probably thrilled. It's just…human relations are a complicated thing, which I've come to realize over the many years in my life. We may love somebody; we just don't always wanna admit it right away."

"Yeah, I figured that. Ma mentioned somethin' like that a few days ago. I just wanna know if you're okay with me crushing on your granddaughter." Kanji said, still hearing the words 'how've you been treating Naoto' in his mind.

"Would I tell you this if I wasn't?" Noburo took a sip of his tea.

"Good point," Kanji got up off the couch. "Well, I'll be seein' you 'round."

But, there was just one final thing Kanji needed to ask: it was related to the present he was making.

"D'you think I could borrow that rag doll, just for ideas?"


	12. Train Trouble: Day Ten

**A/N**: I showed have mentioned this earlier, but I'm sorry if I end up posting chapters late. I've been having computer issues. *.* BTW, I won't upload the next chapter until Christmas Eve, because:

1. It'll give me more time to write

2. It seems more fitting

3. It'll be sappy awsomeness, which is what everyone likes in a Christmas Special! Especially on the night before

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><p>Of all the places you'd imagine people on a train to be doing in the morning—sleeping, drinking or eating something for breakfast, or maybe reading—leaning over the sink looking into the mirror in the cramped bathroom, a bulky bag of makeup on the ledge, may not be at the top of your list. That's what Naoto was doing.<p>

Her eyes were dark and baggy, lips chapped and dry, and she figured it'd be best to fix it all up. Not only that, but the makeup she applied last night before leaving—dark blue mascara, pink lipstick, and orange-pink blush—was starting to run and smear, very unprofessional indeed. She wanted to look as best she could for Kanji; the best apology she could give. He deserved it, for the way she'd treated him that night.

Just when she got just the right amount of makeup on her face, all cleaned up and colorful, she walked out, down the aisles, and into her seat in the back compartment. She picked up the magazine out in front of her, flipping through the pages. It was a catalogue, most likely along the lines of the _Sky Mall_ she saw on the flights she and her grandfather took to Europe. Around the point she was on a page about pet toys and accessories, Naoto felt her eyes grow light and vision fuzzy.

No, she muttered. I'm not getting up again! And she barged through the aisles until she found the nearest snack bar, which thankfully, sold coffee. She sipped it once she slouched back down in her seat, her face pinching at the bitter taste; at least it kept her awake.

Then, Naoto heard the intercom above her head buzz and cackled, followed by a voice that said—SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCES, BUT THE ONCOMING TRACKS ARE GETTIN' PRETTY DAMN ICY. YOU'LL HAVE TO GET OFF AT THE NEXT STOP! Crack and buzz, the voice went away, followed by several murmurs, loud and soft.

Naoto pretended not to care, instead casually skimming through the magazine. But her face became taut as she thought of how much everyone would worry, wonder what had happened to her: Grampa, Yakushiji, Kanji…_Kanji_. The poor guy's probably still frantic over her. All because of—no, she thought. Mentioning it again won't help; it'll just make things worse.

She got off at the stop in Kyoto, with the coffee in its white foam cup and the magazine, just in case she needed something to do. It was raining, the air was cold and nipping, and if you looked closely, some small icy specks of snow and hail. Naoto looked down at her jacket, which was a thin blue detective blazer she wore frequently, with nothing else but her cap, of course, and an ugly green and red scarf she bought at a thrift store before leaving. And it caught up with her, stinging her bare hands, and her eyes growing moist from the wind. She sat down on the nearest bench, waiting for the crowds of angry passengers to get inside, before going in herself. Until then, the only way for her to warm up was to rub her palms together as quickly as possible, wrap her blazer and scarf tighter and tighter around her, and pull her cap down over her eyes and forehead.

The man sitting next to her continuously peered at her out of the corner of his used copy of _Neverwhere _by Neil Gaiman. He was older than her, and was wearing a thick green hooded coat, black combat boots, and a cheap pair of white and blue earmuffs.

That same guy followed Naoto inside, sat down next to her on a more comfortable bench by the window. He made her flashback to the guy she saw two days ago. The guy who helped her out was nice, but had known way too much about her than she would've liked. A part of her thought it was the same guy, coming back to get what he most desired, but when he lowered his hood to reveal his strawberry blonde hair and dark gold eyes, the thought subsided.

"You cold too," he asked Naoto, who was still bundled up in her scarf, cap, and jacket.

Noticing him, she quickly threw the scarf and cap next to her, revealing her short blue hair to be even more frizzy and tangled than before. "I was cold, but that really doesn't matter now, does it sir?"

"Yeah I understand," the man sighed, "But I still want the rain to stop. My team's probably asleep at the Inaba station waiting for me to show up."

"You live in Inaba?" Naoto was interested. It wasn't common for her to run into someone who lived nearby while traveling.

"Oh, I wish," he took out a map and flyer from his coat pocket and showed it to Naoto. The map was of Inaba, and the flyer described the Inaba theater district. "My team's just havin' a fundraiser there,"

He reclined as far as he could. "I plan to live there one day though, once my work load calms down. Maybe settle down, get a nice house by the floodplain."

"It's a nice place." Naoto said, thinking mostly of the trees.

"Yep," he looked at his watch, "Want somethin' to eat?"

The two were soon sitting together on the bench, eating boxed lunches the man, Ichiro, had bought across the street at a convenience store. He occupied himself reading his used book, having to buy another at the station gift shop (_A Song of Ice and Fire: a Storm of Swords _by George R. R. Martin). Naoto didn't really have anything to do; only peeking over the book pages, taking small bites of her box of fried eel, egg sashimi, grilled steak, chicken, and fried rice. All the while, she kept close watch of the train schedule, though not much changed for the Inaba route.

"Dammit," Naoto grumbled, "If this train doesn't get here soon…" She began, not noticing the deep crease in her forehead or that her fists were clenched. Her anger was so carefully in view that she didn't even notice Ichiro pat her shoulder.

"Calm down, Naoto. Just ignore the stupid weather and try to distract yourself."

That wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Naoto had already finished her lunch and she wasn't in the mood to read anything. She preferred to read a good book when she was tranquil, without anything on her mind. That was the best way to drift into another world. Unfortunately, reading the first chapter of _Neverwhere_, which was very enchanting story about the world below London (creatively titled London Below), kept her fretting over the train.

Naoto then noticed something at the bottom of the box as she got up to throw it away. It was a small piece of red fruit, which she couldn't identify. It had the same shade as a bell pepper, but it was slippery and curved at an angle. Curious, she popped it into her mouth. It was sweet, but there was also some sour, and bitter, and…

…her vision grew hazy and she collapsed on what she figured was the bench. When she woke up, the station was near empty, most people outside under the night sky. Thankfully, Ichiro was still there, almost a quarter of the way into his new book. He was still on the bench, but Naoto for some reason could only see him from a distance. That's when a palm leaf tapped her lightly on the forehead. She had fallen asleep next to the potted plant by the pay phone.

Though weirded out, eyes wide and alarmed, she got back up, brushed off her knees, and sat back down next to Ichiro. He looked at her strangely, eye brows arched.

"It's just the fruit, is all." Naoto laughed it off, hysterically, and slouched down.

"Some fruit," Ichiro mumbled, "I take it you enjoyed it."

"Yep," Naoto noticed the odd grin he sported, "And how did you know about this?"

"Lucky chance," he shrugged.

Naoto still felt light headed, and rolled onto her side. She could feel Ichiro stroking her hair lightly, telling her, in a whisper, to sleep. But Naoto didn't want to; it wasn't right. What if she missed the train? Kanji would still be waiting, longing for an answer.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Naoto heard Ichiro say, "You'll be there before you know it."

And Naoto listened, not knowing what else to do; lost. But before drifting off, she kept one little memo in her head, that she hoped would make it into her journal.

_Men are…fascinating._


	13. The Final Two: Days Eleven and Twelve

**A/N**: Here it is guys. The final chapter, except it's two days crammed into one! I'd like to thank you all for the reviews. You've made this my most popular story on this site. I never did think I'd get to publish a story this long, with this many hits nonetheless, but I did it; with both my love of this couple and the support from you awsome people. Have a great holiday season. If I ever write another story, I'll see you all again next year.

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><p>Naoto woke up on the train, still groggy. Her head was rested on Ichiro's lap, who was reading the book he'd gotten yesterday. There was a tray of bottled coffee and dry cereal in front of her seat. And, hidden carefully behind the glass bottle, the same fruit she'd found yesterday.<p>

Though not particularly hungry, Naoto sat up and began to eat the cereal. Having no milk insight, she used the only liquid she had: cold vanilla latte. It was a weird blend of sweet, bitter, and sogginess, but it did get a smile and nod out of Ichiro, who then said, "I see you're enjoyin' your late Christmas Eve breakfast."

"Late?" Naoto said, quietly. She turned to her watch, realizing that it technically wasn't breakfast. It was lunch, maybe even a very early dinner. The time was 3 pm.

"Yep, you seemed pretty outta it when I tried to wake you up, so I gave you some Tylenol to help you fall back asleep. And," Ichiro swiped the odd fruit off the tray and held it out between his thumb and middle finger. "There's one right here if you're interested."

Naoto cocked her head to the side, looking at the fruit, or Tylenol as he'd put it. He must've forgot to read the label when at the pharmacy and picked up the kids medicine. Not once in her life had she gotten a pill like this, mainly at her current age; it probably wouldn't have helped her much, using those.

"At least it'll taste good." She giggled to herself, thinking of the off taste.

Ichiro wiped his brow and sighed, satisfied, "Phew! Now I can tell Yusei the good news!"

"Yusei," Naoto's voice was a mix of question and annoyance, part of her thinking this 'Yusei' was the guy she met three days ago.

Maybe that was why Ichiro's answers led to more questions; just as the other guy had done.

"Uh-huh," He pulled a business card out of his coat pocket: Sato Yusei M.D. "He's a cousin of mine—twice over I believe. He's working at Tylenol over in America, earning more experience to open his own pharmacy. In the meantime, he just makes stuff like this to prepare."

Naoto almost jumped in her seat. She rummaged around in Ichiro's pocket, Ichiro showing no attempt to back off, and took out a blank drug container. There was a crudely slapped on label that said "Organic Fruit: Easy Sleeping".

"So…this is unlicensed!"

"Yep," Ichiro replied, "His pharmacy's gonna be all natural. While I focus on theater, he gives me samples to give to those who look desperate."

Naoto nearly popped a vein. "You're—you're—never mind!" She flashed out of her seat, frowning whilst holding the plastic cereal bowl and half empty glass bottle. The pill fell off the tray.

"See you at the party!" Ichiro waved her goodbye.

She tried to ignore him, instead thinking of home. After getting a new seat, she sat down, took out her cell phone. Before calling anybody, she left a little footnote in the text boxes, one she'd add to the journal entry in her head:

_Be very careful. All you girls in a relationship should be thankful for your man and ditch these sick fucks in the dirt; even if they do seem nice and try to help you._

Then she dialed her home number and said into the speaker, "Hey, Grampa. I'm coming home."

* * *

><p>The party began at six o'clock that night in the Inaba theater lobby. It seemed as though the entirety of Yasogami High showed up that night, once word spread. Rise was at the door, in a short red dress with green and silver fringe, taking people's donations of spare yen, her smile as bright as ever. Yosuke was sitting with Teddie and Chie, drinking some sort of colored eggnog, laughing every other minute. Yukiko was running a small booth, giving out fliers of programs to help the stage and audience seating—Rise had asked her—and was small talking with some other kids from school. And Riku was...brooding?<p>

Kanji really couldn't tell. He was smiling, but it was a nervous jittery smile. He was checking his watch and cell phone constantly. Rise said it was because he was waiting for someone to show up; someone part of his team.

It was kind of like him. He, as well as his friends, was waiting for one other person; someone who wasn't present to except the invitation herself. It was…do I really need to tell you at this point?

Kanji was tapped on the shoulder. "C'mon Kanji lighten up!" said Rise's perky seasonal voice. "The train's probably delayed because of the nasty weather. Now, come here and dance with me."

She dragged him onto the empty section on the hardwood floors, reserved for dancing, and began to twirl him around to the song "Siberian Sleigh Ride" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Though he tried to resist, failing due to Rise's firm grip on both his wrists, Kanji decided to just give into her demands; or, her forcing, rather. It was better than sulking in a chair by the snack table, sipping eggnog and tapping his foot to the beat of whatever music was playing.

Suddenly, Kanji heard a buzzing in his coat pocket.

* * *

><p>Naoto bought herself a plastic plate of cold chicken wings at the train snack bar. She'd be at the train station in about half an hour, giving her plenty of time to eat dinner on her own. Though quite filling, it felt empty. It didn't have the fresh spiced taste of the chicken dinner her grandfather would get them every year. As for the Christmas cake, that was pretty much out of the question that night.<p>

But he didn't care, from the text she received. He simply told her he and Yakushiji went out to have their own fun, encouraging her to enjoy the night for herself. Based off those words, Naoto knew that he supported Kanji's every whim.

Surprisingly, Naoto had no objections.

She dropped the make up entirely. No matter what she did, it would smudge and smear, leaving her facing a colorful disorganized mess. But she kept it on, a part of her hoping Kanji wouldn't mind. And after her encounter with men, though nice, that gave her chills, she grew a stronger appreciation for Kanji. That and she didn't care if Kanji wanted her there or not. Being home was all that mattered now.

After throwing away the plate in the bathroom disposal, Naoto got up on her toes to get her back, which was in the upper compartment. She wrote the personal texts and memos into her journal and placed her cell phone onto the tray so she wouldn't forget to bring it. Then, when the train came to the Inaba station in a screeching halt, she made one last call that day.

* * *

><p>Upon getting word from Naoto, Kanji rushed out the door, abandoning Rise on the dance floor, who later would find a new partner in the form of a <em>bear<em>-y desperate young man. He ran down the shopping district, panting as the thick sheets of rain and piercing hail came down. Eventually, the cold wind got to him, making his breathing short and labored, and he had to slow down. The only thing he had on to protect him from the cold was an old formal jacket, which he assumed was his dad's. His bare skin grew red and numb as he got closer and closer to his destination.

Then there was the ice. Because of the rain mixed with the sleet and hail, the puddles left on the pavement froze over, and each day, more layers froe over. Kanji had to be extra careful around these parts, taking one small step at a time. Occasionally he would slip, almost falling onto the ice, but he'd keep balanced keeping his arms out in front of him. Naoto's return wouldn't be as enjoyable with broken legs.

Naoto leaned against the doorframe outside the train station, her scarf and jacket wrapped around her as tight as she could make it. The wind and rain made the distance seem hazy, but she knew it could be worse. At least they didn't have blizzards up here.

Her bag was nestled on the icy pavement by her feet. She'd placed everything inside waiting for Kanji, for she knew it was best to have free hands for their reunion. There was something Naoto wanted to do for the longest time, ever since her first strange encounter.

Kanji finally made it to the train station, and Naoto was outside, waiting. She was smiling, but it wasn't too welcoming. It was sweet, but it was also somewhat deformed, awkward almost. Her eyes were big and damp. Her face was smudged in many colors, running down her face, which combined into some odd brown and pinkish color. Makeup, what else would be on her face?

Slowly, but confidently, Kanji approached the mangled detective prince. She did nothing; only stood there, tapping her foot, the same jumbled expression.

He touched one of her hands, making her smile fade slightly. "Look…I-I know ya probably don't wanna talk to me, and r-really, I don't blame ya."

She was shaking slightly now.

"But, in case you want to, I want you to spend Christmas day with me tomorrow."

She pulled him closer.

"So…will ya?"

Finally, she wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly suffocating him. She kept her hold for a good minute and a half, smiling the whole time. "I'm never leaving you again,"

Upon realizing what she said, Naoto quickly reworded. "On purpose, that is."

Kanji took that as a yes and held out a hand to her. "Well, c'mon, our friends our waitin' for us." And they walked, carefully, back to the theater together.

* * *

><p><span>Christmas Day (Epilogue)<span>

Well, despite a few kinks involving some guy Kanji assumed Naoto had a bad relationship with, the party went smoothly, and while they didn't raise enough to renovate the entire theater, there was enough for a brand new stage—and some more shows as well, starting with _Little Shop of Horrors_. But Kanji had enough of these musicals. They caused too much trouble for both him and Naoto.

Speaking of which, the two were sitting on the floor of Kanji's bedroom, a clunky wrapped present on Naoto's lap. Her face was clear of all makeup, thanks to a certain idol and innkeeper's daughter. Kanji sat across from her, anxiously awaiting the last piece of green, red, and white paper to hit the floor…

It was done. Now Naoto held a stuffed doll, about the size of a book. It was a green haired boy with leaves amongst strands, wearing a long black trench coat, a detective's cap, a blue and pink miniskirt, white halter top, and black high heeled boots. In his hands was a little novel—possibly in the mystery genre—called _"Forgive: By Kanji Tatsumi."_

Though she giggled a bit under her breath, Naoto hugged it against her chest dearly. She could feel a few loose tears peeking from her eyelids. It was everything she'd held close; even the things she kept hidden from even her closest friends.

Then, she did something she'd never done in all her life. Naoto kissed Kanji, slowly, on the lips.

And there you have it. How do I know all this? Because I am their eldest daughter, Mariko, meaning I was the first to be told this story. That's not only how my parents got together, but its how I learned my family's personal Christmas Meaning. Be good to those you surely trust, even if they're a little strange. Bring out the best in them, and they'll do the same unto you.

Now, if you excuse me, my mom's calling me. Says she wants to know where her plushie is so we can take the picture. Well, anyways, Merry Christmas everyone! Goodwill, peace on earth, and all that crap! Bye!


End file.
